American Freedom Alliance launches “Every Business is Essential” initiative

The American Freedom Alliance is launching an “EVERY BUSINESS IS ESSENTIAL” initiative to ensure that never again do we suffer a needless economic catastrophe based on arbitrary designations by government bureaucrats. It is sound policy to allow businesses to stay open based on their compliance with health and safety guidelines, rather than on a subjective and inconsistent determination of how “essential” a business is. The current discrimination between essential and non-essential businesses has created financial, economic, political, social, psychological and physical stresses on individuals and the nation as a whole, and this, in turn, is creating a national security vulnerability that can’t be ignored. Economic freedom is a key element of our freedoms generally, and must be preserved.

By working from a premise that all businesses are essential, and that the only criterion for a business to be open would be an ability to comply with health and safety guidelines, the health of individuals and of the nation can be maintained. The “Every Business is Essential” initiative gives politicians and candidates an opportunity to voice their support for this premise by signing a pledge to oppose all efforts and legislation that designates any business as non-essential. That’s it.

The EBIE initiative is non-partisan and only reflects a politician’s or political candidate’s philosophy regarding the fundamental importance of economic freedom and of each business’s contribution to the engine of our economy. The initiative recognizes that measures must sometimes be taken to contend with a situation that has the potential to be catastrophic, but that those measures must specifically address the catastrophe without incurring far greater, far wider and far more pervasive destruction. Given that the guidelines taken by “essential” businesses appear to be effective, all businesses should be offered the same opportunity to comply with those guidelines. It is that compliance, not some “essential” designation, that matters.

The initiative also recognizes that there is value in each and every business endeavor, and that the powerful engine of the American economy, built on the hard work, risk-taking, courage, creativity and initiative of countless owners of businesses both great and small, ought never be brought to a halt by politicians flipping the “off” switch.

The signatories of the pledge will have their names listed on our website, and will be given an EBIE seal indicating their defense of businesses under all circumstances.

Economic freedom is fundamental to all other freedoms, and must not be impeded.